smartEX (2026): How to Book the Tokaido Shinkansen Online, Step by Step
If your trip includes Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima or Fukuoka, smartEX is the site to book on. It is JR Central's own service, it has an English version, and you can change your train as often as you like before departure at no charge.
You ride by scanning a QR code or tapping an IC card such as Suica, so there is no ticket to collect. We read smartEX's official service pages on 7 November 2026; the rules below come from them.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. smartEX is JR Central's own booking site, and we show it first.
Is smartEX the right site for my trip?
Each JR company runs its own booking site. smartEX sells only the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen.
Tokyo – Kyoto – Osaka
Also Nagoya, Hiroshima, Fukuoka and Kagoshima. Nozomi, Hikari, Kodama, Mizuho, Sakura and Tsubame.
Tokyo – Kanazawa, Sendai, Nagano
smartEX can't book these. Use JR-EAST Train Reservation (Eki-net).
Reserve on the JR Pass site
Pass holders reserve seats through the JR Pass reservation site or a ticket office, not smartEX.
How do I register?
You need to be 18 or over, and you need an email address and a credit card that supports 3D Secure.
- Open smart-ex.jp/en and press Register. Enter your email address and press Send.
- Click the link in the email. Tick the box for the Membership Agreement, Privacy Policy and Supplements, then press Agree.
- Enter your details. Name, date of birth, password and card number. Your card issuer will ask you to confirm with 3D Secure.
- Add an IC card if you have one. This is optional. Without it you ride with a QR code or collect a paper ticket.
- Press Confirm, then Register. An email with your membership ID arrives. That's it.
How do I book a train?
- Log in and choose your stations, date and time. Up to 6 people per booking.
- Pick a train. Nozomi is the fastest. Prices differ between Nozomi and Hikari or Kodama.
- Choose a seat on the seat map. For Mt Fuji towards Osaka, seat E in standard cars or D in Green cars. Bags of 161–250 cm need an oversized baggage seat.Which side, and where to look:Mt Fuji seat guide →
- Pay. Payment is taken when you book.
- Choose how you board. QR code, IC card or a paper ticket collected at the station.You show the QR code on your phone at the gate.Japan eSIM on Klook ↗
smartEX Service page: covers Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen; booking from 5:30 one year before until 4 minutes before departure; unlimited free changes; ¥320 refund before departure.
smartEX How to Register page: age 18 or over; 3D Secure authentication; IC card number optional.
smartEX fare tables (PDF): Tokyo–Shin-Osaka ¥14,520 on Nozomi, regular season; EX Hayatoku 21 Tokyo–Shin-Osaka ¥12,980.
smartEX Membership Agreement: Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club and Discover cards can be registered.
Is smartEX cheaper than the ticket office?
A little. Tokyo to Shin-Osaka by Nozomi is ¥14,720 at the ticket office in regular season, and ¥14,520 on smartEX. Like station tickets, the price moves with the season.
These amounts are for one adult in an ordinary reserved seat on one line. A trip that runs across the Tokaido and Sanyo or Kyushu lines (Tokyo to Hiroshima, say) moves by ¥400, ¥400 and ¥800 instead. For bigger savings, look at the Hayatoku fares, below.
What are Hayatoku fares, and should I buy one?
Hayatoku are discounted smartEX fares with limited seats. The best known, EX Hayatoku 21, is for direct Nozomi trains between Tokyo and Hakata (and, since 13 March 2026, Mizuho and Sakura between Shin-Osaka and Kagoshima-Chuo). It must be booked by 23:30, 21 days before you travel.
Our verdict: worth it if your dates are fixed. If your plans may move, the normal smartEX fare is the safer buy because you can change it for free.
How do I change or cancel?
…I want a later train?
Open My Trips, choose the booking and change it. Changes are free and unlimited, up to 4 minutes before departure, as long as you haven't passed the gate or collected a paper ticket.
…I want my money back?
Before departure you can refund it yourself for ¥320. After departure, smartEX processes it automatically from the next day, minus a fixed fee for each section.
…I miss the train?
With a normal smartEX fare, take a later Shinkansen the same day in a non-reserved car. This doesn't apply to Hayatoku fares. Missed train guide →
…the train is more than 2 hours late?
smartEX refunds a fixed amount for each section you used.
What if my card is declined?
smartEX asks your bank to confirm with 3D Secure. If that step fails, turn on online and overseas payments in your bank's app and try again. Cards that can be registered are Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club and Discover.
If it still fails, you have two options: buy at a station ticket machine or office in Japan, or book through an agency that charges in your currency.
Ticket machine or office
The regular station price, bought once you are in Japan.
Klook Shinkansen tickets
Useful when your card doesn't work on smartEX. Compare the price with smartEX before you buy.
Affiliate linkAnything else I should know?
- Local train fares to and from the Shinkansen station are paid separately.
- No stopovers: if you leave the train early, the rest of the journey is void.
- Bookings made between 23:30 and 5:30 are limited to 3 people, and seat maps are unavailable then.
- Supreme Class private cabins (from October 2026) are booked online through smartEX, with a QR code or IC card; paper tickets can't be collected for them. First class compared →
Ready to book?
Register on smartEX a few days before you need it, so a card problem doesn't catch you at the station. Travelling at New Year or Golden Week? Book the day sales open.
Klook link is an affiliate link. Compare its price with smartEX.